BROOKVILLE- With the
retirement of longtime Police Chief Ken Dworek, the borough of Brookville has
been searching for a replacement.

After a lengthy closed door session to
discuss personnel, the council voted to hire Sergeant Jason Brown of the Saint
Clair Shores, Michigan Police Department. Sergeant Brown has worked nearly
twenty-five years for the Saint Clair Shores P.D. and currently serves as a
Patrol Supervisor. Before being promoted to Sergeant, Brown was the Senior
Detective in the Criminal Investigations Division, with a specialty in Fire
Investigation (Cause and Origin). In addition to being a Sergeant, Brown’s
supervisory experience includes employment as the Metro Detroit Coordinator for
V.I.P. Executive Services, where he supervised up to fifty security personnel
and drivers for major corporate events. Sergeant Brown also served in the U.S.
Coast Guard Reserve for eight years and holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal
Justice from Wayne State University. Mayor Chip Wonderling is also retiring at
the end of the year. Dick Beck was elected as the borough’s new mayor.

The 2014
budget, which features revenues of one point eight million dollars and an equal
amount of expenditures, was formally adopted. There is no tax increase for
borough residents. Real estate millage rates for 2014 are: General Fund – 8.99
mills; Street Lighting - .6 mills, Fire Protection – 1.1 mills, and Library
Fund - .225 mills for a total of 10.915 mills. Occupational millage rates are: General Fund – 30 mills, Street Lighting
– 3 mills, and Fire Protection 3 mills for a total of 36 mills. The Local
Services Tax (LST) of $52.00 remains the same and will be levied on all wage
earners employed within the borough earning more than $12,000; $5.00 of the LST
will be tendered to the Brookville Area School District. The per capita tax
will be $5.00.

The council unanimously approved a
Special Events permit. The Community Resources Committee has been working on
developing the permit for several months. Councilman Steve Hoak said the permit
“Isn’t meant to be a hoop for organizations to run through” but is more of an
information sharing process. Hoak said the permit is “A catchall for
everything”. Requiring a permit starts January 1, 2014 and organizations are
asked to submit permit applications three months in advance.